


Puppies and Strays

by CatLoaf



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Impromptu adoption, Or not, Tsume count your children, it works out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 12:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15796803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLoaf/pseuds/CatLoaf
Summary: Young dogs and foxes look remarkably similar when covered in mud.orNo one knows how many children are supposed to be at the dinner table and no one cares.





	Puppies and Strays

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [these](http://blackkatmagic.tumblr.com/post/177348535790/i-saw-a-thing-on-tv-about-a-fox-kit-that-somehow) [posts](http://blackkatmagic.tumblr.com/post/177355531885/re-the-other-anons-naruto-and-inuzukas-ask-i) on tumblr.
> 
> It's my first time. Be gentle.

"Hana, could you go round up the pups? Dinner is almost ready!" Tsume called from the kitchen. "We're having some cousins over for a while, and they went to the park with Kiba because they were bored."

"How many this time?"

"Not sure. At the least Mimi's litter, since she's on a mission, but I think some of Kegawa's brats wanted to get away from the baby and came along. Until that colic of hers lets up, I wouldn't want to sleep in their house either," Tsume muttered the last part to herself.

 

Hurrying towards the park, Hana cast a worried glance towards the dark sky. She would have to hurry if she wanted to make it back home before the next rain shower came down. Too bad she couldn't take to the roofs yet, that would have to wait until she got a ninken and they'd start tree-walking. She couldn't wait to start her final year of the academy and finally get a dog of her own. Arriving at the usual spot, she let out a sharp whistle. Immediately, several small forms liberally smeared with dirt popped up from the bushes and other hiding spots. Apparently, ninja-tag had turned into a mud fight.

"Alright you lot, dinner time. And after that, bath time."

Loud protests arose from the ranks of children at the prospect of surrendering their hard-earned filth. One even started to back away slowly. Without further ado, she lifted the kid by the scruff of his shirt, set the youngest one on her other hip and started towards the compound.

"You know how Mom gets when you are late for dinner. To anyone that doesn't want to feel her wrath, march!"

 

-earlier-

 

Naruto had been looking at some nice worms after the rain when a kid he didn't know suddenly tackled him from behind.

"Tag! Your it!" Delighted to be included in a game, he had started chasing after another boy with similarly spiky brown hair.

"Ta- Ack!"

Naruto slipped on the slick grass and face-planted into a puddle. Never one to be deterred by a little dirt, he got up again and looked around for his prey.

"That dirt on your cheek almost makes you look just like Mom." The other had stopped to look at him. "That's badass. Can you do me, too? I'm not allowed to get the real ones for _years_ , it really sucks! I'm Kiba by the way."

"I'm Naruto... What do you mean, I look like your mom? Does she put dirt on her face?"

"No, idiot, she has the triangles, you know? Only hers are red."

Thinking very hard, Naruto could remember the red markings he had seen on shinobi at the market before. They _had_ been pretty cool.

"Sure! You make mine look better, and I make some for you, and we both look awesome like your mom, believe it!"

"Maybe if you put your hair in the puddle, we can make it brown like hers, too."

They had spent the rest of the afternoon playing with what turned out to be a group of Kiba's cousins.

When a girl with red triangles came to collect his new friends, he tried to edge away before she could spot him. Maybe, if she didn't see him, he could keep meeting with Kiba in the park. He would be sneaky. He would be like a ninja. He would stealth-play. He was so focused on his inner stealth mantra that he didn't see the hand grabbing him until it was too late.

 

Tsume barked a laugh when she saw the state the pups were in.

"Wash your hands and get yourself a bowl," she ordered and grabbed the ladle to distribute the stew. When she noticed one of them hesitating, she said, "Sit down with the others and eat, pup. Eat, then bathe, then sleep. Now shoo."

 

"What are you still doing here?"

"Your mom told me to. She's really cool, Kiba."

"I know, right? You can sleep in my pile tonight, if you want. When we have this many guests over for the night, we have to share bedrolls anyways."

 

Later that night, when she looked in on the puppy piles conked out in the bedrooms, Tsume spotted a conspicuously yellow head among the usual brown.

Seeing the whisker-marks, she smirked to herself. "Seems like a fox kit snuck in with the pups. Oh well, one more won't empty the larder." Tsume gently shut the door. Let him stay if he likes, she thought, pups shouldn't grow up without a pack anyways. If anyone had a problem with that, well, she and Kuromaru had been getting bored lately.

**Author's Note:**

> Mimi and Kegawa are random Inuzuka kunoichi.  
> I like to believe that Tsume regularly watches over other kids from the clan, since she is one of the few that can keep that many in line.


End file.
